Just in time for CES, Wilson Electronics is gearing up to formally introduce the first in a series of 4G Cell Phone Boosters. Considered a godsend in areas where good reception is scarce, cell boosters pick up scanty signals, amplify them and then redistribute a stronger signal throughout a home, office or other space. Until now, Wilson Electronic’s extensive line of cell repeaters has been limited to 3G offerings, leaving a noticeable void among 4G users. This new 4G Cell Booster operates on the AWS band which is used by T-Mobile for its HSPA+ network.

The Wilson 4G AWS 60dB Cell Booster runs at $399.95 and is best utilized for home-internet use. Later next year, Wilson plans to release multi-frequency 4G cell phone signal boosters that can be utilized with carriers other than T-Mobile. Included in these future offerings are 4G cell boosters that are compatible with Sprint’s WiMAX network. Stay tuned for further details on Wilson’s 4G Booster line slated to be revealed at CES.… Read the rest

The first 4G smart phone at an affordable price is going to hit stores next month. Or, more correctly, the incredible pricing will hit a single store. Best Buy will provide the HTC EVO Shift next month for the unbelievably low price of $150 with a two year contract. The phone operates on Sprint’s 4G WiMAX network like its predecessors the original HTC EVO and the Samsung Epic.

The company was hardly bashful earlier this month when information about pricing was leaked online. Almost immediately after being confronted with the leak, Best Buy admitted that the pricing information was accurate. Both Best Buy and Sprint are likely to be benefitting from this release; it has been a while since the last Sprint 4G phone was released. Additionally, the lower price may bring a new kind of consumer into the 4G playground that is less technologically savvy and less likely to spend money on a “fancy” phone. The price will appeal to many consumers just interested in a nice, affordable phone.

Details about the phones’ appearances and capabilities are heavily discussed in various forums online. The biggest aesthetic difference between the original HTC EVO and the updated Shift is the smaller size and slide out QWERTY keyboard. This upgrade has been very much desired; consumers themselves echoed critics’ disapproval of the EVO’s size.

Rumors floating around online say that the HTC EVO Shift will have a 3.7” touch screen with a screen resolution of about 800×400. They also claim that there will be support for a microSD card and b/g/n WiFi bands. It is also said that the device will be running on the Android 2.2 Froyo system.

Whatever the case, the updated phone is in high demand and with the pricing that Best Buy will be offering, it is sure to be a bestseller. But, the most exciting part is the precedent that the HTC EVO Shift will make with this pricing. Manufacturers will be unable to jack up prices just because the phone is “4G.” Wireless 4G is available to the masses at last.… Read the rest

Last night on Fox Business, Quantum Networks CEO Ari Zoldan broke down the hottest gift items in the tech space. Need help choosing the right gift for the techie in your life? Watch the video above for information on 3G vs. 4G equipment, the iPhone vs. Android, how to create your own wireless ecosystem and much more.

Ari’s final picks for 4G Gift Items:

1. The Unlocked MiFi

Put your phone’s SIM card into the MiFi and instantly create your own wireless hotspot that can support up to five users. With the unlocked MiFi there are no additional fees or contracts to worry about.

Powered by Android and featuring a touch screen, full slide-out keyboard and the ability to create a 3G/4G network for up to five Wi-Fi devices, the Samsung Epic is a true mobile powerhouse. Operating with the Sprint 4G network, users can watch videos, play games and download applications at lighting-fast speeds.… Read the rest

Boca Raton, FL, December 15, 2010 – Airspan Networks Inc., a leading provider of broadband wireless access networks, announced today that EnergyAustralia, the largest energy provider in Australia, will use Airspan WiMAX as a part of their next-generation smart grid communications network.

This is part of EnergyAustralia’s smart grid roll out to transform its electricity network into a grid that is smarter, greener, more interactive and more reliable. The communications network is essential to enable more efficient electricity supply and greater control of energy use. The Airspan smart grid solution offers advanced, secure, broadband WiMAX technology to help EnergyAustralia increase efficiency, manage costs, better control the power supply during peak periods and provide consumers real-time energy usage and cost information.

The smart grid deployment is already under way with Airspan WiMAX 4G base station equipment being deployed at 150 locations in New South Wales over the next 6 months.

“EnergyAustralia is at the forefront of smart grid technology,” commented Henrik Smith-Petersen, President of Global Business Development for Airspan. “By integrating the Airspan smart grid solution, EnergyAustralia is leveraging 4G technology for a seamless, secure, communications network that will widely benefit the company as well as their consumers.”

Airspan provides 4G solutions operating in frequency bands ranging from 700 MHz through 5.4/8 GHz and offers licensed spectrum leases for secure, private networks in the 1.4 GHz band in the United States.… Read the rest

Sprint took advantage of the skyrocketing customer interest in mobile phone applications by partnering up with WIRED, Ars Techica, and Reddit to challenge innovative customers to produce their own apps.

It is looking like it’s going to be a beautiful Christmas in Denver, and it’s not because of the weather. The city is set to be lit up with Sprint 4G signals. There are currently two 4G phones available from Sprint, and both would make lovely holiday gifts for a loved one.

It certainly is about time that more of America had a chance to appreciate the 4G services that Sprint has to offer. At this time, 4G has mostly dominated the coasts, leaving the rest of the country with less-than-speedy (or, in some areas, nonexistent) wireless networks. Bringing 4G Wireless Networks to a city like Denver seems to be a step in the right direction.

Sprint utilizes the same 4G network that Clearwire provides for them; Sprint is the majority shareholder of Clearwire with a 54% stake in the company. Whether or not Clearwire’s mediocre earnings recently will impact Sprint’s ability to maintain a steady hold over its customers is yet to be determined.

Sprint’s competitors, including Verizon and AT&T, are hot on their heels with aspirations to acquire as many 4G network sites. Unfortunately, however, being years late to the game does take its toll on consumer potential. For instance, consider the people in Denver who want 4G services on their phones. Verizon will not be able to offer that until they put out a 4G phone. So, for the time being, Sprint seems to be ahead of the game.

It’s official. The next tablet Sprint will release will be 4G and it will be in the upcoming year. This is quite the upgrade since it was only several weeks ago that Sprint released its 3GSamsung Galaxy Tab, which runs on the Google-owned, Android operating system. Another surprise Sprint disclosed this past week? The new tablet may run on another operating system.

There are plenty of operating systems for Sprint to choose from: Windows, HP’s Palm webOS system and Research in Motion’s Playbook operating system. RIM seems to be the most suitable choice for Sprint as the RIM Blackberry Playbook is turning out to have many consumers interested, even months prior to its release. At this rate, Sprint could only hope to surpass Blackberry Playbook speculation with a press release of its own concerning the future Sprint 4G tablet.

Sprint is not scared of the ramifications of surprising consumers with a new tablet months after the release of its first tablet, especially with the 4G element. Many Sprint customers are skeptical of the fact that Sprint released its first tablet on a 3G system two years after the company had already been working with 4G WiMAX technologies. There has already been some criticism from Sprint customers following this release that it may be better to just wait another couple of months for the same release from Verizon. Can Sprint really trust its customers to wait for them to get their acts together about what to release when?

Sprint certainly seems to think so. “We’ve been in this market for over two years,” Paget Alves, Sprint’s President of Business Markets, told Forbes. “We’ve had a lot of time to work with our customers and build up a portfolio of 4G devices and services.” Reliability will pay out, at the end of the day. Also, the branding of all fast networks as 4G will “eventually backfire,” Alves added. “Throwing around that term will make it less meaningful,” Alves said. “Then it will be more about delivering what people expect from a ‘4G’ experience.” This may well be a stab at T-Mobile who has also announced plans for a 4G-branded HSPA+ tablet.

Clearwire has proposed a new business venture that may bring in the capital it needs to stay afloat. Even after the company raised more than $1.2 billion in debt funding, they have announced a proposal to sell off excess spectrum, as well as new equity financing.

The announcement came early Monday morning from Clearwire CFO Erik Prusch as he was speaking at the UBS Global Media and Communications Conference. It seems that the debt offering was only a part of a multi-faceted plan to raise funds for the company. Prusch divulged to the press that a spectrum auction could result in a $2 billion profit for Clearwire.

Prusch is unsure, however, if Clearwire will fully execute plans for equity financing or a spectrum sale. “We have seen good interest in our spectrum portfolio,” he said. “And I can say we’ve been working very hard on equity for a while.” Prusch declined to comment on potential new equity partners or spectrum buyers. He did mention, though, that “there are a lot of parties interested in the spectrum.” Whether or not those parties include T-Mobile, a company partner Sprint already favors a wholesale agreement with, is still a question.

Clearwire’s spectrum sale proposal came mere days after Prusch spoke at the J.P. Morgan SMid Cap Conference, when he announced the $1.2 million debt sale. Initially all outlined financial plans were set to be released simultaneously, according to Prusch. Due to complications regarding terms for each of these services, however, the debt sale was completed before anything else was ever settled upon. This may leave the financial reform tripod standing on one leg if the other propositions are not completed.